


Dear Stranger

by msalexiscriss



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: 1763, Alec's POV, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Arranged Marriage, Epic Love, Falling In Love, Fluff, If you are here for historical accuracy then this is not your story, Love Story, M/M, Romance, Short & Sweet, Strangers to Lovers, historical!malec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-11 04:52:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7877290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msalexiscriss/pseuds/msalexiscriss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Set in the 18th century, where marriage is nothing but an agreement between two families for economic or family-building reasons, Alec and Magnus will have to fight against everything, including their own families, to give their budding love a chance, <i>will they succeed?</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!!! I'm back with a new multi-chapter fic!!! This is a very short (and quite cheesy) story, so I really hope you like it. I don't want to say much about it because I want you all to discover what I have in store for Malec through the chapters. As per usual, the list of characters will be updated along with the chapters to avoid spoilers ;) Also, the number of words per chapter will vary greatly. There will be very short chapters (1K words) and long chapters (3-5K words), so bear with me, okay?
> 
> Anyway, enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think!!! Also this is not your typical historical fic, so tread carefully ;)

_——o——_

_December, 1763._

_Dear Stranger,_

_I don’t even know how to start this letter. As you well know, I’m not very good with words, and if I’m completely honest, these are the hardest I’ve ever had to write. These past few months with you have been the best in my life and that is why, asking you what I’m about to ask you breaks my heart completely. I know it's not what either of us wanted, but sometimes things are like that. I'm sorry for doing this, but we have to stop seeing each other for good._

_I know we promised a future together. I know that just yesterday I promised to go with you later this week to start our life together, but now that I’ve had some time to think about it more clearly, and after a long conversation with my father, I've realized that I can’t do it. Despite everything you make me feel, despite my heart's true desire, I can’t do it. I can’t let down my family like that...I wish I could, believe me, but I can’t. They need me and my marriage is the only solution for my family at the moment. I didn’t know it, but we’re going through some financial problems and my siblings are still young, so it all falls on my shoulders. I know it's hard to accept, but I really hope you can understand it and forgive me._

_Getting to know you has been the best experience of my life. I will always cherish what we created and keep close to my heart all the incredible moments we spent together in our shared spot at the park, learning from each other and growing in love._

_Please don’t hate me for this, you better than anyone know that there are some things that are not in our control. I hope you find some kind of happiness in your own marriage. And, please? Don’t forget about me, okay? Know that you will always be my one and only love...the only one._

_With love from the bottom of my heart._

_Your Thief._

——o——

September, 1763.

Alec opened his eyes and sighed loudly. Today was his 18th birthday, and even though that meant he was now a full-fledged adult, he felt completely miserable. Turning eighteen was a big deal, but only because it meant that he had finally reached the age to get married. Society would now expect him to choose a partner who best suited his family’s needs, and engage in marriage—and Alec hated that.

He hated the fact that he couldn't choose the person who would be his companion for life. He hated the fact that he was forced to marry someone he did not love. And he hated even more the fact that the decision fell entirely into his parents’ hands. _What could they know of what he wanted in a partner?_ They didn’t even know that he preferred men because he didn’t like women.

But either way, woman or man, Alec wanted to be the one to choose it, but unfortunately he couldn’t. It was unfair, yes, but he lived in a society where the possibility of choosing your own fate was not even an option. Children, even grown men as Alec was now, didn’t have a say on the matter—not even because it was their futures the ones at stake.

And that was why Alec was miserable. He already knew what would happen in the next couple of months; he already knew what he would have to endure and the thought made him completely miserable. All his life Alec had dreamed of a romance. An epic one like the ones he had read in his books. He wanted to feel the butterflies that all those writers talked about, he wanted to feel his head spinning after his first kiss, he wanted to be head over heels for someone, he-

“Happy birthday, big brother!” His younger sister, Isabelle, entered his room, interrupting his reverie.

It was very early in the morning, so she was still wearing her nightgown, but that didn't diminish her beauty. Sometimes it surprised Alec how beautiful his sixteen-year-old sister was. It didn't matter what she was wearing, she always looked stunning. There was no doubt that Izzy, as they all called her for short, was the most beautiful girl in the entire city—if not in the entire country.

“Thanks, Izzy.” Alec said with a smile. “But, can we pretend that I’m still not eighteen? I mean, I already came to terms with my impending fate, but I don’t want to think about it just yet.”

His sister just nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. “You think our parents are going to make you marry someone right away?” She asked.

Alec nodded. His parents had already warned him about it. His mother had been very clear when she had said that the sooner he was married the better.

“Have they already chosen someone?”

Alec shrugged because he didn’t know. His parents were friends of the _creme de la creme_ of Alicante, Idris’ capital city, so it was really a matter of time before they chose someone.

“I’m sorry, Alec.” Izzy said, climbing the bed until she was lying beside him.

“Don’t be.” He said, welcoming her in his arms as he had done since they were little. “It’s how things have to be, but tell me...how are your cooking lessons going?”

“I’m a disaster!” Izzy exclaimed distressed. “I can’t even boil water without burning it.”

“Izzy, water can’t get burned.” Alec pointed out.

“Precisely my point, big brother! Imagine how bad I am if I can get water to burn.”

Alec laughed despite his listless mood.

“I don’t know how I’m going to-” Izzy was saying when the door of Alec’s room opened again and his other two siblings walked in; Jace, their adoptive brother who had Izzy’s same age, and Max, their little baby brother.

“Happy birthday!” They exclaimed in unison.

“Thank  you.” Alec said with a tiny smile on his lips.

Max jumped into the bed and immediately handed Alec a gift. “We got you something!” He announced in all his 9-year-old cuteness. “I chose it!”

Alec smiled broadly and opened the package, ripping the wrapping within seconds. It was a beautiful writing set. The box was made of mahogany and had Alec’s initials _‘A.G.L’_ engraved on the top. Inside, there were seven interchangeable silver nibs, two bottles of ink, some sheets of parchment, and a quill.

“It’s beautiful!” Alec exclaimed, trailing his fingers through the engraving and feeling the difference in texture where his name stood out from the softness of fine wood.

“You really liked it?” Max asked hopefully.

Alec shook his head. “I didn’t just like it, Max, I loved it!” He said, giving his little brother a hug. “You chose well.”

“See?” Max said, turning around to face Jace. “I told you he would like it.”

“Alright, Max.” Jace said. “I'm sorry for doubting you.”

“Jace said you wouldn’t like it,” Max continued, “but I thought it would be good for you to have one for when you're no longer here. That way you can write us letters all the time.”

Alec tried to smile even though those words had reminded him of what was yet to come. Everyone, even his little brother, knew that he would be leaving soon. _When?_ He wasn't sure, but it would be sooner rather than later.

“Anyway,” Izzy said, clearly sensing the sudden tension in the room, “as much as I’d like to hang out here all morning in your room, big brother, we all have to get ready for your party. Come on, Max! Let’s go dress up, and you too, Jace!”

“We’ll see you later!” Max exclaimed, jumping out of bed and running from the room.

“You okay?” Jace asked, before joining Max and leaving the room too.

Alec nodded and put on his best smile. “Of course, go get ready. I’ll see you all in a bit.”

“Alec…” Izzy said. She was standing in the doorway, watching him with sad eyes.

“It’s fine, Izzy. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay, but remember that we love you, alright?”

“And I love you all more.”

o-o-o-o-o

When his party finally came to an end, Alec said his goodnights and hurried to his room. He wanted to be alone for what little was left of his _‘very special day,’_ but apparently his parents had different plans in mind.

“Alexander, wait!” His father exclaimed from the hallway downstairs.

Alec sighed. He hated when people called him using his full name, especially when it was his dad the one who did it. “Father, can I help you with something?” He asked, poking his head from the railing of the staircase.

“We need to talk.”

“Can it wait until tomorrow? I’m very tired.” He confessed. He hated parties and he had just spent a whole day enduring one, so he wasn’t joking, he was physically and mentally exhausted.

“No.” His father said and pointed to the door of his office, letting Alec know that they would have a private conversation whether he liked it or not.

Alec sighed again and dragged himself into his father’s office. The place was enormous; it had a huge bookshelf that covered an entire wall, a double desk, and some couches. He wasn’t surprised to see his mother sitting in one of them. He knew they both wanted to talk to him.

“What do you want to talk about?” He asked, trying to rush the inevitable. He already had a hunch of what they were going to tell him.

“Your mother and I wanted to inform you,” his father said, “that we have started talks with some of the best families in the city and surrounding areas.”

Alec sighed. Those weren’t breaking news, he already knew that. “Okay.” He said.

“We will let you know when we have chosen one, but know that we’re working on that.” His father continued.

“Anything else?” Alec asked, trying not to sound rude.

“What? No arguments on your side?” His mother asked. “Last week you lost your temper when I talked to you about it.”

“Are you going to change your mind and let me marry whoever I want?” Alec asked.

“No.” His parents said firmly.

“Then, I don’t see the point to continue wasting my time arguing with you. You already chose what you want for me and there’s nothing I can do about it. May I go to my room now?”

His parents shared a look and nodded. “You may go...have a good night, Alexander.”

“Yeah, you too.” He murmured, closing the door of his father’s office and running to his room.

Now more than ever, he wanted to be alone. He felt so miserable. _Why life had to be like that? Why couldn’t he just choose freely?_ He understood that parents chose partners for their children to give them a better chance, but Alec couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of marrying someone without love. _What kind of life was that?_ He wondered, walking to his window and looking out.

The night was a bit foggy, something that used to happen frequently in the city. Alec opened the window and tried to breathe September's cold, but still somehow warm, air. When he was younger he used to love this time of the year, besides being his birthday, he loved to go out with Izzy and later on with Jace, to crush leaves and enjoy the amazing weather. However, since he had been old enough to realize that growing up was inevitable and that he would have to fill some expectations when he came to age, September and therefore his birthday, had become the worst time of the year.

“Happy end of your life, Alec.” He whispered to himself, as he looked at the people walking around the city despite the late hour.

 _Were they as miserable as he was?_ He wondered. They didn’t look as if they were having a bad time, on the contrary, they looked free. Free as he hadn’t felt in a very long time. The last time he could remember feeling remotely free was when he was a kid and used to sneak to the rooftop with his siblings to look at the stars.

Alec looked up, searching for that familiar dotted canvas, but there was a lot of fog blocking the view. He sighed, longing for that feeling of freedom that he associated with a starry night. Now he was an adult, but nothing had really changed. He was still trapped, he was still imprisoned in these four walls.

Suddenly, a rebellious urge struck him, and without thinking twice, Alec grabbed his coat and after locking the door of his room, climbed down the window and got lost in the city. He wanted to feel free again and for that, he needed to see some stars. He didn’t know where he was going, but he wouldn’t stop until he found the perfect spot. Even if that meant walking to the outskirts of the city.

Perhaps it was the sudden realization that he was a grown man, but tonight nothing and no one would stop him.

o-o-o-o-o

Alec walked and walked for nearly an hour until he reached a small park almost on the edge of the city. It was deserted there compared to the main town, but Alec appreciated the solitude. He had always been a very solitary person who enjoyed the pleasure of his own company.

Alec took a deep breath and sat down on the grass, looking to the sky and coming face to face with a beautiful starry night.

It amazed him how much of a difference a few miles could make in relation to the sky. Unlike in the city, here he could see a plethora of stars of all sizes and even the trail of the Milky Way, splitting the sky into two. If he stretched his hands high above his head, he could almost feel as if he were touching them. The feeling was so liberating that it sent shivers all over his body.

“What are you doing, you thief!?” A voice said. “That’s my spot!”

Alec turned around to see a man approaching him. He looked young, probably a year or two older than Alec, and he was handsome—very, very handsome. Alec couldn’t help but notice how elegant he was dressed, with fancy dark red clothes and a black velvet coat that made him look both mysterious and sexy.

“Ex-excuse me?” Alec asked confused.

“You are sitting in my stargazing spot.” The man said again.

“I didn’t know you owned this park.”

“I don’t own it, but that’s my spot.” The man insisted.

Alec was not in the mood to argue with anyone, not even with a handsome gentleman like the one he had currently before him. He just wanted a place to escape from the prison he called home, a place where he could be free if only for a couple of hours.

“The park is very big, I’m sure you’ll find some other spot to claim.” He said.

The stranger didn’t say anything at first, and simply plopped down next to Alec. “I’ll let you have it for tonight.” He said, with a smile. “You seem to need it more than I do.”

Alec chuckled.

“Did you have a bad day?” The stranger inquired.

“Something like that.”

“I’ve heard that sometimes it's good to share your problems with strangers.” The man said tentatively.

Alec looked at him. Telling everything to a complete stranger didn’t sound like the best idea, but at the same time it did. This man would not judge him, _right?_ He would just listen and probably tell Alec that he was being a fool for wanting something that he simply couldn’t have. So he decided to take a leap of faith and share everything with him. From his hatred for his own birthday to the arranged marriage that was yet to happen.

The stranger listened attentively, without interrupting Alec once. When Alec was done, the man just sighed and started to share his own problems. Alec was surprised to discover that this man was going through something very similar. His father also wanted him to get married soon and he was, like Alec, just waiting for the fateful announcement.

“So we share the same pain.” Alec concluded.

“It looks like it.”

They smiled at each other and suddenly the conversation turned into something else, and they started to talk about their likes and dislikes, their dreams and goals, their fears, their interests...their lives.

The night slipped like water through fingers and when Alec noticed, the birds had already started to sing and the sun was on its way out.

“Oh, God! It’s dawning!” Alec exclaimed in alarm. He had never intended to spend the entire night outside his home. He thought he would be back after a couple of hours. If someone entered his room before he managed to get back, he would be in a lot of trouble. “I have to go!” He said, standing up with a jump and brushing off the grass from his clothes. He would have loved to stay and keep chatting with this stranger, but he really had to go home.

“Can I see you again?” The stranger asked.

“What?” Alec asked confused. He didn’t know if he had heard correctly.

“I would like to see you again...would you like that?”

In that moment all the things that could go wrong crossed Alec’s mind, but he ignored them and simply nodded. “I-I’d really like that.”

The stranger smiled a beautiful smile. “Same place, same time, same spot, tomorrow?”

Alec nodded again, without even realizing that with that tiny nod of his head he had improved, yes, but also complicated his life considerably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update will be up in a few days, but if you hate waiting you can read all my other Malec stories. I have a couple of multi-chapter fics and some one-shots. Anyway, see you soon!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday so here's a new chapter!!! Sorry for not updating sooner, but life got in the way and I couldn't write as much as I wanted during the week, but anyway, this weekend I'll try to write a couple of chapters to finish this story soon.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I'll try to update on Monday ;)

It was a curious thing to realize how much someone’s life could improve when you had a reason to smile, and despite the fact that Alec was currently trapped in some fancy dinner that would normally have him rolling his eyes every few seconds and with a severe headache, tonight there was a genuine smile plastered on his face. The prospect of what he would be doing later that night was giving him the strength to endure the formalities that being the son of who he was required on a daily basis.

For the past week, Alec had been sneaking out of his house every night to go see the man he had met in the park. He still didn’t know his name, or almost anything about him for that matter, but he didn’t want to. They had agreed not to tell each other personal information that could lead them to find out who they really were.

What they had, this kind of friendship based merely on the understanding of souls, worked better if they didn’t know who they were. There were a lot of feuds among the different families of the city and surrounding areas over money and land, and they didn't want their friendship to be affected if their families turned out to be mortal enemies.

They had shared some personal things, of course, like the fact that Alec had a brother and a sister, and a foster brother, that he lived in the city, and that his father had an important position in society. The stranger, on the other hand, had shared that he lived outside the city, that his mother had died when he was just a kid and that he had no family other than his father, who incidentally, was considered almost royalty where they lived.

At first, they had tried to guess each other’s names, but after several failed attempts they had given up, agreeing to call each other by nicknames—nicknames that were yet to be established. Alec had been trying to come up with something, but he still hadn't found a way to call him other than the man of the park. It was hard when the information he had about the guy was limited, it was like-

“Alexander.” His mother said, snapping Alec out of his thoughts. “Aren't you listening to what we’re saying?”

“I'm sorry, mother, I was a little hmmm, distracted. You were saying?” He asked, trying to catch up with whatever conversation his parents were having, but failing miserably.

All eyes on the table were on him now, but the ones that concerned him the most were his mother's. She was eying him suspiciously, with that look that only a mother gave to her children when she knew that they were hiding something, and Alec had to duck his head to avoid her penetrating gaze. It was as if suddenly she could read through him. As if—if Alec looked straight into her eyes—she would be able to see what he had been doing behind her back all week.

“You’ve been acting strange this whole week, what’s going on with you, Alexander? You’ve been going to bed earlier and judging by the bags under your eyes, it seems as if you hadn't been sleeping at all. You've been missing some of your morning lessons and don’t think that we haven’t noticed your constant mood swings. Yesterday you were furious after your father talked to you and minutes later I heard you humming a song while you were tidying up your room. I'm sorry, Alexander, but I'm your mother and I know that something's happening...what you’ve been up to, young man?”

“Nothing.” Alec said, trying to remain calm. He knew that he had to be and sound convincing if he wanted to keep his mother’s nose out of his nightly adventures, she had already noticed way more than Alec had first guessed. She was dangerously close to putting the dots together. “I’m just really into some new book I found in father’s office. I’ve been reading it this whole week, that’s all. And I'm not having mood swings, I was angry after my conversation with father and sometimes humming songs helps me calm down.” He lied.

His mother frowned not completely satisfied with that answer, but said no more. She just stared at him for several seconds until his father, sensing the mood, cleared his throat and started asking Izzy and Jace about their lessons and how they were doing.

Alec tried to keep his mind on what his siblings were saying, but more often than not, he found himself thinking about those shared nights with the mysterious man and trying to speed up the time so he could excuse himself to bed and sneak out of his room.

After several quite eternal minutes the servants started to clean the plates and serve dessert.

“Not for me.” Alec said, pushing the apple pie away from him. He wasn’t very hungry for dessert. The anticipation of seeing his friend had started to take a toll on his appetite. “Is it okay if I just go to bed? I’m not really that hungry for dessert.”

His parents eyed him suspiciously, but his father nodded. “Go ahead, have a great night, Alexander.” He said.

“You too. Goodnight everyone.” He said, excusing himself from the table and walking out of the dining room. He could feel his mother’s eyes piercing him from behind, watching his every move, but he ignored them and just kept walking.

o-o-o-o-o

When he closed the door of his room behind him, he took a deep breath and smiled mischievously—that had been close. He knew his mother hadn’t been mistaken when she had said that Alec had been having mood swings, and for the first time in a week, he felt a bit embarrassed. He had really changed since he had met that man. He had noticed it himself.

He wasn’t a very optimistic person, nor did he care about his personal appearance, but since his birthday he had found himself smiling more often than not, and taking care of himself more than he was used to. There was nothing romantic going on between him and that man, at least not yet, but a guy could dream, _right?_ He liked him and was aware that the man was not indifferent to him, so as far as he knew, everything could happen. It would be a mistake and probably impossible since they both were expected to get married soon and with different people, but he didn’t really want to think about it. This was the first time in his life that he had a reason to smile every single day.

Alec walked to his closet and pulled out his cloak and a blanket, and put them in a sack. He had recently discovered that the air tended to be very cold just before dawn and he didn't want to get sick.

He was about to climb down the window to go to the park when someone knocked on his door. “Alexander, may I come in?”

It was his mother.

“One second, mother.” Alec said, cursing in silence. “I’m getting ready for bed.” He lied, closing the window, putting the sack under his bed and rushing to change his clothes to let his mother in.

He opened the door a few minutes later, smiling to hide his discomfort. “Can I do something for you, mother?” He said politely.

“I just wanted to check on you.” She said, entering the room with her usual authority and looking around. Alec was almost certain that she was trying to find something unusual, something that could reveal what he had been really doing all week, but everything was as it had always been—clean and spotless.

“Is this the book you were talking about?” She asked, picking up the book that Alec had in his nightstand. It had been there for two weeks. He had finished it weeks ago, but had forgotten to put it back where it belonged.

“Yes.” He lied. “In fact, I was just about to resume my reading.” He said as a way to politely get his mother out of his room.

“What is it about?” She asked, flipping through the pages.

Alec refrained from rolling his eyes. His mother wasn't very discreet when she was trying to see if someone was lying to her. “It's the story about a man who was sent to jail and has to write letters to his family and loved ones to keep in touch.”

“You’re reading about criminals?” She asked in disbelief.

“No, he's not a criminal. He was accused wrongfully, mother, he is innocent.” Alec said in self-defense. He had loved that book and felt a strong connection with the main character. He knew that when he finally got married, he would feel as if he had been sent to jail too.

“Whatever you say.” She said, putting the book back where she had found it. “I want you to go with me tomorrow to run some errands, so I expect you to be ready and well-dressed first thing in the morning. It would probably be best if you didn’t stay up late reading this nonsense.”

Alec sighed. This was his mother’s way to keep a close eye on him. He knew that from now on she would be breathing down his neck, at least until she was sure he hadn't lied to her.

“Okay, mother.” He said without arguing.

His mind was too busy trying to figure out what had given him away. Maybe she had come late at night and found the room empty, but that was impossible since Alec always made sure to lock the door just in case. Or maybe his mood swings had really been drastic and-

“Have a good night, Alexander.”

“You too, mother.” Alec said as he watched his mother leave and close the door of the room behind her.

As soon as he was left alone, Alec ran to the door and locked it again. He put his right ear against it and tried to listen until he heard the door of his parents' room being shut.

He waited an hour to get dressed again, and after making sure that all the members of his family were sound asleep, he took the sack from under his bed and climbed down the window.

o-o-o-o-o

When he reached the park, he realized that it was already way past midnight. He was officially late for their date and for a moment he feared that his friend wasn't going to be there, but fortunately for him, the man was sitting on their shared spot, waiting for him like he had been doing every night since they had met.

“I thought you wouldn't come.” The man said as soon as their eyes met.

“Sorry, no. I just had some difficulties to get out of my house tonight.” He confessed, taking a seat beside him.

“Is everything okay back at home?” The man asked.

“Yeah, it’s just my mother,” Alec said, “I think she suspects that I’ve been sneaking out of the house at night this week.”

“What would happen if she found out?” The man inquired.

Alec chuckled. He didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if that happened. “Hell would break loose.”

“Really?”

“You don’t know my mother, she’s…strict to say the least.”

The man looked at him and smiled. “You intrigue me, you know? I know we agreed not to, but maybe I’m changing my mind and I do want to know your name and who your parents are. I don’t care if we’re mortal enemies or anything...now I'm even more curious than before about you.”

Alec smiled. He would be lying if he said he didn’t want the same thing, but it was risky. The enmities between families were taken very seriously and it was better not to risk it, at least for now. “It’s better like this and you know it. That's if you want us to keep seeing each other, of course.”

“Of course I want to. Coming here at night is the best part of my day.” The man confessed, and Alec’s heart did a somersault. “What are you going to do with your mother?”

Alec shrugged. _What was he going to do with his mother?_ He wasn’t sure, but he knew that in order to distract her he would have to think of something. Maybe stop coming every night just for a couple of nights until she went back to mind her own business and stop meddling in his life. The idea of not seeing his friend every night made him sad, but he didn’t see any other option. It was that or risk being discovered, and if that happened, he could start to say goodbye to his nightly adventures and to spend time with the handsome man who was currently looking back at him with those beautiful brown eyes that since they had met had been part of his dreams.

“Maybe we could stop seeing each other every day.” The man suggested, much to Alec’s surprise. They were so in sync that sometimes it was a bit disturbing. It was as if their minds were and worked as one. “Don’t get me wrong, I love spending every night with you and I would love to keep doing it for as long as you want, but I don’t want to get you in trouble with your family. I know how important they all are for you, so what do you say if instead of seeing each other daily, we write to each other? I could send you letters to the city’s post office and you could do the same. That way we wouldn’t be breaking our agreement of secrecy and we could still be...hmmm, friends.”

“And, when would I get to see you?” Alec asked. The idea of not seeing each other every day wasn’t bad, in fact, it was what he had first thought, but thinking about not seeing this man ever again made him feel the saddest he had ever felt.

“Every now and then. We could set different days through our letters to fool your mother.”

Alec thought about it. The idea could work, _right?_ That way he could keep this man in his life and avoid getting discovered by his mother. “Okay…” He agreed.

“You’re not very happy with the idea, are you?”

“I-I...it’s not that,” Alec confessed, “it’s just that I-I...I really like the time we spend together, but you’re right, I can’t risk my mother finding out. She would forbid me to see you again and I don’t want that.”

“Then it’s set, we’ll write to each other instead.”

“But there’s a problem…” Alec pointed out. Apparently his friend hadn't thought about that small flaw in his plan.

“What?”

“Letters must be addressed to someone and since we agreed not to tell each other our names I don’t see how we’re going to write to each other.”

“Easy, we’ll use those nicknames we talked about. We met in this park, you stole my stargazing spot and I was the stranger who listened to all your problems, so those will be our nicknames. You’re going to be the Thief and I’ll be the Stranger.” The man said simply.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, like you said, letters have to be addressed to someone, but since we don’t want to reveal who we really are, we’ll have to be a bit creative. But don’t worry, I know the man at the post office. His name is Ragnor, I’ll let him know the dilemma in which we’re immersed and I’m sure he’ll help us out. You’ll just have to go talk to him and ask him for a letter from me...a.k.a. Your Stranger.”

Alec smiled, suddenly feeling so much better. The man had not only found a way to keep their friendship alive despite the sudden obstacle that Alec’s mother represented, but he had called himself Alec’s very own stranger and that thought made things to his heart.

“You look better when you smile.” The man pointed out.

Alec ducked his head to hide his flushed cheeks. Since they had met that had been something that had taken Alec a bit off guard. This man seemed to have no filter when it came to complimenting Alec and his, according to him, many unique qualities.

“I brought something for you.” The man said out of nowhere, taking a wrapped package that had been resting on the grass.

“For me?” Alec asked surprised. He never received any gifts, only on his birthday, but that didn't count.

“Yes…”

“What is it?” Alec asked curiously. The package was a bit heavy.

“Why don’t you open it to find out?”

Alec smiled and opened it as quickly as he could. Inside he found three books with beautiful red spines and golden letters. The titles weren't familiar, but they were books and he loved them already.

“You said you loved to read, so I thought you might like some new books for your collection.” The man continued. “These are my favorites, so I really hope you like them too.”

“You didn’t have to…” Alec said, examining the books with curiosity. They were gorgeous and he couldn’t wait to read the stories they kept inside and that made them his friend’s favorites.

“But I wanted to…”

“Thank you.” Alec said, smiling at him.

“You’re welcome.” The man said, mirroring the smile. “If that smile of yours is going to be my reward for bringing you books, then I’ll do it all the time. Like I said before, you look your best when you smile.”

Alec couldn’t help but duck his head for the second time tonight.

“You really have to learn how to take a compliment...there’s nothing wrong with that. You have a lovely smile.”

“Well, that’s easy for you to say.” Alec said. “Surely you're used to receiving compliments all the time, but I'm not. No one had ever complimented me before…well, at least no one that counted.”

The man looked him straight in the eye. “Are you being serious right now? No one, ever?”

Alec nodded.

“I can't believe it.” The man exclaimed in disbelief. “The only reasonable explanation I can find to this is that the world must be blind because I find you-” he hesitated, “-I mean, you're great and I think you're worthy of the most beautiful compliments in the world.”

Alec blushed again, but this time he held his head up high and looked back at his friend. “Do you really think so?”

The man shook his head and very tentatively took Alec’s hands. “No, I’m sure of it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised this chapter for yesterday, but I went to some music festival and arrived super late. Anyway, since CH4 only has 500 words, I decided to upload it too, so its a 2x1 deal that I really hope you like!!!
> 
> Just as a reminder, this is a very short story with a different format, so that's why the chapters sometimes end so abruptly, but bear with me, okay? I promise it will be worth in the end. 
> 
> Anyway, see you on Friday!!!

Alec was in his room writing a letter to his Stranger. He had been doing that every day for quite some time now. It had become a sort of habit among them; regardless of whether they had agreed to meet that night or not, they always wrote each other letters, sharing all that had happened during the day. No matter how simple or silly it was, they told each other everything. They had discovered that writing letters to each other had been the best idea ever, it was a way of keeping one another abreast of theirs lives and make them part of it as much as their situation allowed them.

 _“I can't wait to see you. With love, Your Thief.”_ Alec finished the letter, scanning the page with his eyes to make sure there were no errors.

He was so lost smiling at his own sappy writing that he didn't even notice when his sister entered the room and sat down on his bed.

“You know? I've never seen you smile like that.” Izzy pointed out, making him jump.

“Jesus Christ, Izzy!” Alec exclaimed, touching his chest to try to regulate his heartbeat. “You scared me to death! Why didn't you knock the door before entering? Where are your manners, huh?”

“And ruin the element of surprise? I don't think so, big brother...not my style.” She added with a wink, standing up and getting closer to the desk. “I see you've made good use of our little birthday present.” She pointed to the writing set that they had given him a couple of months ago.

Alec immediately tried to cover the letter he had been writing before the interruption. His sister was the person he trusted the most in the world, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to share that new chapter of his life with her yet; in the last couple of weeks his friendship with the stranger had evolved into something else, into some sort of romance like the ones authors loved to write about, and Alec treasured it with all his heart.

They had done nothing more than hold hands as they talked and watched the stars, but their letters were quite intimate, they revealed all those things that they hadn’t dared to say aloud yet.

“I-I…”

“Who is he?” His sister asked, quirking a brow in sheer curiosity.

“How do you know it's a he and not a she?”

“Alec, please.” She said, smiling knowingly. “I've known all along. Your lack of interest in women was never a secret to me. It was pretty obvious, actually. I know that boys have a phase when they literally want nothing to do with girls, but you kind of never got out of that phase—Jace did, but you didn’t. You’ve never looked at a girl the way Jace does, however, you’ve done it with boys. I noticed the way you looked at the handsome guy in the bank, you remember him? Father's assistant? I always wondered why you loved to go with father to work if it was the most boring thing in the world. Jace hated it, I hated it, but you? God, you practically volunteered to go, so when all of a sudden you stopped being so enthusiastic about it and refused to keep going, I kind of got suspicious and I did a little research. It didn’t take me long, though, a couple of days later I went with father to his office and that was when I found out what had happened—father’s assistant had been fired. So I put two and two together. You liked him and he was the only reason why you went with father and endured the torture of being enclosed in his office for hours."

Alec blushed. Apparently he hadn't been as discreet as he had thought he had been. When he was younger he had had a big crush on that guy whose name now he couldn't even remember. That had been the first time he had realized that he was different from the other boys in town.

"I can't say I blame you," Izzy continued, "I was just a kid back then, but I do remember he was handsome.”

Alec smiled with the memory—the guy had been, indeed, very handsome. And he couldn’t help but wonder if he would still find him attractive now. Probably not...nowadays he only had eyes for a certain someone.

“Anyway, are you going to tell me who he is, or are you going to force me to get the truth out of you with some of my tricks?”

Alec laughed. “I don't know.”

“You don't know if you're going to tell me who he is or if you're going to force me to use one of my tricks?”

“No, I don't know who he is.” He confessed, making his sister frown in deep confusion.

“How is that?”

“It's a long story.”

“Well, I have time…” she said, making herself comfortable in Alec's bed, “unless you have something more important to do, I think we have a couple of hours before dinner.”

“I-I...I have to take this to the post office.” He grabbed the letter he had been writing.

“The post office will be open for two more hours, we have time.”

Alec sighed. He knew he would not escape his sister’s interrogation, so he took a deep breath and prepared himself to start sharing his story. It didn’t bother him, though, it felt good to talk about his new adventures with someone. Many nights he had stayed up late at night thinking that he was finally living his very own romantic novel, but nobody but him was reading it. It was good to share what he was experiencing with another person, especially if that person was his sister.

“I met him on my birthday.” He said.

“Wait!” Izzy exclaimed excitedly. “Was he a guest at your party? Do I know him?”

“No, he was not.” Alec shook his head. “And I don’t think you know him, he isn’t from here. After the party I-I…”

“I, what!?”

“I ran away.” He confessed. “I was feeling trapped and, do you remember when we were kids and we used to sneak up to the rooftop for stargazing?” He asked, and Izzy nodded. “Well, I wanted to feel like I used to feel every time we did that, so I walked to the outskirts of the city in search of a place to watch stars and that's where I met him. It was in a park. We started talking and the next thing I knew it was already dawning, but it was amazing, Iz. We talked about everything and nothing, he's a…hmmm, very interesting man. Anyway, after I told him I had to leave we agreed to meet again and well, we’ve been doing that since then. At first we did it every day, but then mother became suspicious and that was when we started to write each other letters too.”

“Then, you do know him, you little liar.” Izzy quipped.

“Well, yes, but I didn't lie completely. I don't know his name or where he lives or anything.”

Izzy frowned. “He didn't want to tell you?”

“No, we agreed not to tell each other who we really are. You know how things are here, enmities among families can break friendships, it happened to you with Meliorn.”

Izzy nodded in understanding. “So this unknown man and you have been writing for how long?”

“Almost two months.”

Izzy covered her mouth to show her surprise. “Almost two months and you didn't tell me, your favorite sister? I'm offended, Alec!”

“Sorry, Iz.” Alec said. “I was afraid that our parents could discover my secret. I-I...this is very special, I didn’t want to ruin it.”

“Don't worry, you know I understand, I was just kidding. But tell me, how often do you see each other and where? I have to be honest, I knew something was strange with you lately. When mother asked us if we knew what was going on we lied, but both Jace and I agreed that you were, in fact, acting very, very strange.”

Alec smiled. “Thanks for not fueling her doubts, it was difficult enough to convince her that she was just imagining things. She was very, very close to finding out everything. And to answer your question, I see him three or four times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. It depends...and we always meet at the same spot in the same park where we met.”

“How romantic!” She exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. “Because you two are dating, right?”

Alec felt the heat reaching his cheeks, but nodded slightly. After all, they were actually dating. It was not the conventional relationship where they courted each other and had chaperoned visits to their houses with the prior approval of their parents, but what they had was no less special. In fact, it was even more special.

“Have you kissed?” She asked in a gossipy tone.

“Not yet.” Alec confessed, blushing more—if that was even possible, of course. “But I hope it happens soon.”

His sister screamed excitedly, clasping her arms around Alec's neck to hug him tightly. “Oh my God, I'm so happy for you, Alec! You deserve to have a real romance!” She said. “Now, can I see the letters?”

Alec hesitated for a minute, but nodded, walking to his closet and taking out a box where he had hidden all the letters he had received so far. It was a big stack bearing in mind that they had only been writing to each other for a month and a few weeks, but Isabelle didn’t seem to mind, she grabbed it and started reading immediately, devouring every letter eagerly. By the time she had finished Alec was extremely nervous. His sister’s opinion had always been very important to him and now that she knew what was happening with him, he wanted to know what she thought of it.

“So?” He asked nervously.

Izzy looked at him with a serious expression and Alec panicked for a second. Maybe he had been imagining things and what he had with this man wasn't as special as he had thought it was, but after several seconds of pretending, a big smile betrayed her and Alec breathed again.

“He loves you.” She said.

Alec smiled and ducked his head to hide his flushed cheeks. He knew his boyfriend— _how weird that sounded, huh?_ —felt something for him that was equally reciprocated, but listening to his sister voicing those words was like a revelation. He hadn't been imagining things and what was happening between them was as true as the sun rose every day in the East.

“And judging by that smile of yours, I guess you love him too.” She continued.

Alec grinned. “I do, I really do.”


	4. Chapter 4

Alec was with his boyfriend. They were sitting on their shared spot in the park enjoying some time together after a few days of not seeing each other. Since the day Alec had shared everything with his sister, he really hadn’t had time to see him. They had talked through their letters a lot, but nothing compared to being able to share a night out—it was always better when they could spend a few hours in each other's company.

It was late and the moon was in full glow, lighting up the sky with its beauty. It was a beautiful night, like most of the nights they had spent together since they had met. Their hands were intertwined and Alec was playing with his boyfriend's hair, taking full advantage of the fact that the latter was currently resting his head on Alec's lap. It was nice. For once, they weren't talking, they were just enjoying the moment, the gift they had of being together. 

“Don’t you sometimes wish to have a different life?” Alec asked, breaking the silence that had stretched for a while now. “Like, I don’t know, live in a different time where we could have the freedom to choose our paths and with whom we want to spend the rest of our lives?”

“All the time, darling.”

Alec sighed. “Me too.” He confessed. “If you could choose that person, if let’s say that you were given the chance to choose your partner, who would you be with?” He asked curiously.

His boyfriend stood up, cocking his head to one side. “Do you really have to ask that?” He asked, smiling at him. “With you, of course. A thousand times with you, my love.”

Alec smiled pleased with that answer, but stopped breathing the moment he realized that with that new position they were closer than they had ever been. His boyfriend was inches away from his face. Alec could even see the light freckles that sometimes, when washed by the sun, decorated his boyfriend’s nose.

“And you?” His boyfriend asked, tracing the line of Alec’s jaw with the tip of his finger as if he were committing its shape to his memory. “With whom would you be?”

Alec took a deep breath. They were practically breathing the same air and all he wanted to do was shorten the small distance separating them and finally know what kissing felt like—so he did. He didn’t know what possessed him, but instead of replying he leaned over and just placed his lips against his boyfriend’s, kissing him and pouring into that small act of intimacy the answer to the question.

The kiss was slow and sweet, and in Alec's opinion the best first kiss of all time. He could feel the softness of his boyfriend’s lips and the warmth of his always minty breath. It was so intense and so perfect that Alec feared he had imagined it all, so to make sure he wasn't dreaming, he used his free hand to pull the man closer and hold him in place, kissing him until his lips got tired.

“With you...” he said with a smile when their lips finally detached, “a thousand times with you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's Friday and here's the new chapter!!! Do you remember that letter I used to start this fic??? Well, we're getting closer to knowing when and why it was sent **sweats nervously**. Anyway, I really hope you like how this story unfolds, it's very sweet and like I said, probably the cheesiest thing I've ever written, so bear with me, okay? It HAS a happy ending. Trust me.

Alec entered his house and without even taking off his coat, ran to the stairs to get to his room. He was, as he usually was whenever he returned from the post office, in a hurry to get to his room and read the letter that his boyfriend had sent him. Reading his letters was the second best thing that happened to him during the day—the first one was when they agreed to see each other at night, of course.

He entered his room, but just as he was about to shut the door behind him, his mother stopped him, stepping out of nowhere.

“Alexander.” She said, and Alec tried not to roll his eyes. She always had a terrible timing. “Your father and I have to talk to you.”

“Now?” He asked tentatively though he already knew the answer to the question.

“Yes, now. We’ll be waiting for you in his office, don't take long.” She announced, walking away and not even giving Alec a chance to say anything.

Alec sighed and entered his room to hide the letter. He couldn’t risk having it with him when he was about to have a meeting with his parents. He didn't know what it was going to be about, but regardless of what they had to tell him, he knew these _'conversations'_ with his parents never ended well.

Alec took off his coat, hung it in the closet and after taking several long deep breaths, walked to his father’s office. His parents were already waiting for him there; his father sitting in his chair with his eyes fixed on some documents that he had before him, and his mother standing beside him, with the same impassive and cold face that she usually wore—as that of a statue.

“Sit down, Alexander.” His father said, pointing to the empty chair. “We have some important news for you.”

Alec sat down nervously. He had a very bad feeling about these sudden _'important news.'_ For some reason, from the moment he had entered the office, he had felt as if he were voluntarily attending his own funeral, which now that he thought about it, he probably was.

“Your mother and I have made a decision.” His father informed him. “After thinking it over and analyzing our options, we have finally chosen a family that best suits our interests and with which we want to make an alliance. We wanted you to know this because yesterday, your mother and I, started the proper talks so that we can become one through your marriage.”

Alec’s heart stopped beating. He knew this was bound to happen someday, but he never imagined it would be so soon. He had been opposed to this nonsense of arranged marriage since he had learned from it. First, because he had always considered it cruel and inhuman, and second because he had always dreamed of finding true love, and now that he had it, now that he knew what it felt like to be really in love with someone, he was even more opposed to it. He couldn’t marry someone he didn’t love—not now, not ever.

“We will take care to settle all the details and you'll meet your betrothed soon.”

Alec took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself and ask what really mattered. _When!?_ He wasn't excited in the least about any of this, but he had to know when he was going to meet this person. “When it’s soon?” He managed to ask.

“You know how this works, Alexander.” His mother said. “A couple of days before the wedding, of course.”

Alec sighed, of course he knew how it worked. Everybody knew it. The two families would arrange the wedding and the soon-to-be-married couple would not see one another until the last possible moment—a couple of days before their wedding day. This was due to the fear of the them backing out and not finding the other attractive enough. It was stupid, but that was how it worked.

“Can I at least know which family did you choose?”

“And risk that you can discover who your betrothed is and do something stupid?” His mother asked. “I don’t think so, Alexander. That’s not how this works. You’ll have to trust that we have chosen wisely for you. After all, we are your parents, we will always have your best interests at heart.”

Alec sighed. _How was he supposed to trust them? How was he supposed to hope that his parents had chosen wisely?_ They didn’t know him, they didn’t know him at all.

“I can’t marry someone I don’t know.” Alec said as his last resort. He knew it wouldn't change anything, but at least he had to try it.

“You’ll have a couple of days to know each other. Now, stop complaining and better be grateful. We have selected a very good prospect.” His mother said.

_How could he be grateful for it if he already hated that person, whoever it was?_

“We’ll start with all the preparations immediately and we’re hoping the wedding can take place in a month.” His father continued. He sounded as if he were just discussing another of his business—which he probably was.

“A month?” Alec breathed out. That was too soon, too, too soon. In a month he would be stuck with someone for life and the idea made him feel sick. He didn’t want to get married. At least he didn’t want to get married to someone else. He already had someone with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life and-

“That’s all for now, you can go back to whatever you were doing.” His mother said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Alec stood up as if he were on autopilot. This couldn't be happening—it couldn’t. He felt as if his parents had sentenced him to death.

_A month..._

He was barely aware of leaving the office and walking to his room. When he entered, he found Izzy and Jace waiting for him there. It was clear that they had heard it all, or that at least that they knew what the _‘conversation’_ had been about because both of them were looking at him with pity in their eyes.

“Alec, I’m sorry.” Izzy said, trying to get closer to him, but Alec stepped back. He didn't want anyone's pity, especially not his sister's.

“Alec…” She said, but he ignored her and just walked to his closet.

Pretending that his siblings weren't even there, he grabbed his coat, the letter he hadn't had time to read and left his room.

“Alec, wait!” He heard his brother exclaim, but he ignored him too and just left the house, daring to even use the front door despite the hour.

The only person he wanted to see at the moment was his boyfriend. They hadn’t agreed to meet that night, but he was hoping he could find him. Now more than ever he needed him. He needed him if only to cry on his shoulder.

o-o-o-o-o

Alec walked and walked, trying not to think too much about the conversation he had had with his parents and mentally praying that his boyfriend was there when he finally made it to the park. He had never needed him more than he needed him in that precise moment.

Luckily, his prayers were heard because when he could see the outline of the park taking shape on the horizon, the first thing he noticed was the familiar silhouette of a man sitting on the grass.

Just the fact that he was there warmed Alec's heart, but his boyfriend wasn't just sitting on their shared spot, no, he was also writing a letter that Alec assumed was for none other than himself.

“Is that for me?” Alec asked aloud, making his boyfriend to jump a little. It was clear that he hadn’t been expecting him, but the smile on his face said how happy he was with the sudden and unexpected surprise.

“I-I...yes, hi!” He exclaimed with a smile. “I didn't know you'd be here, too. I mean, I come every night just in case, but...what are you doing here? Is everything okay? Are you alright?”

Alec sighed and remembering why he was there in the first place, shook his head, immediately taking the hand that his boyfriend had extended toward him in a welcoming gesture.

“What happened, my love?” His boyfriend asked worriedly.

“My parents…” Alec said as a matter of explanation, “my parents happened.”

His boyfriend, who better than anyone knew the hell Alec’s parents made him go through, immediately understood what Alec needed and just pulled him closer and hugged him tightly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” His boyfriend asked softly.

Alec shook his head, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes, but then nodded. He didn't want to hurt his boyfriend with the terrible news too, but he couldn't hide this from him. There were no secrets between them. The only thing they hadn't shared about themselves was their names, but that had been deliberately to protect what they had...a name did not make a person.

“What happened?”

“Everything happened.” Alec said, trying to keep the tears from falling. “My parents have chosen someone.”

Alec saw how understanding flashed through his boyfriend's eyes. He didn't have to explain what _‘everything’_ meant, much less what entailed that his parents had chosen someone—his boyfriend already knew. They both had been waiting and dreading for this moment in silence. It was something they knew was bound to happen sooner or later and that, whether they liked it or not, threatened to tear them apart...forever.

“Have they-have they agreed on a date?” His boyfriend asked, and Alec could hear how much it had hurt him to ask that simple question. It was evident that he was as disturbed by the news as Alec was.

“Not yet, but my father said he was hoping it could take place in a month.”

His boyfriend fell silent for what seemed like ages. Alec could see the pain reflected in his face. His beautiful eyes were now distant and lacking that natural glow, his pretty smile had disappeared completely from his face and his lovely tanned skin had lost all its color.

“Are you okay?” Alec asked. Apparently, now it was his turn to worry about his boyfriend.

The man took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself down. “It's too soon.” He said in a whisper.

Alec agreed—it was too soon.

“What are we going to do?” Alec asked, losing control and letting his emotions get to him. “I cannot marry someone I don't love! I can't do it! Before I met you I already hated this idea of arranged married, and now, after you, after this, I hate it even more. I can't do it. I can’t. I-”

“Hush, hush, my love.” His boyfriend said, hugging him again to stop him from freaking out even more. “The news came in a very short notice, I can’t deny that, but don't worry, okay? I’m sure we’ll come up with something to stop this.”

“With what!?”

“I don't know yet, but I promise, here in our special place that I won't let your parents ruin your life.”

“Really?”

His boyfriend nodded, giving him a kiss to seal his promise.

Alec felt relieved for the first time all day. “What on earth did I do to deserve someone like you?”

His boyfriend chuckled. “I ask myself that same question every day, my love, what did I do to deserve someone like you?”

Alec smiled and leaned in for another kiss. The future was uncertain and scary, true, but he couldn't let it overshadow what really mattered—the here and now. A love like the one they had didn't happen twice in life, so he had to trust, trust that everything would be fine—trust that they would be fine.

Because every time he kissed those lips that always managed to take his breath away, he knew that no matter what happened in a month or a year, there would never be anyone in the world for him but this man. Call him a romantic, but it was the truth. This stranger had already stolen his heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter!!! I hope you like it!!! Some of you already have theories about the story, so I really hope you like what I have in mind for this fic **sweats nervously** 
> 
> Anyway, I want to share with you the schedule for the last chapters so you know what to expect. CH7 will be up this Friday (a bit late because I have some stuff to do and I won't be home till very late), CH8 next Tuesday, and the last two chapters on Friday (23th)!!! I hope you stay with me until the end ;) Thanks for reading and see you all on Friday ;)

Alec was pacing around his room after the last conversation he had had with his mother. She was all over the place arranging things for the wedding and generally being extremely annoying—more so than usual—and Alec was desperate. It had been a week since his parents had dropped the bomb about the wedding and he still didn’t know what he was going to do.

His boyfriend had asked him for some time to come up with something and Alec had agreed, but now that he was watching the days go by, he couldn’t help but worry about it even more. Every day that passed was a day closer to the fateful wedding and he had to come up with something to stop it.

“Alec, can you please stop walking in circles? You’re driving me insane.” His sister said. She was in his room, trying to help Alec with this whole mess. After all, she was the only one who knew what was really going on and why Alec was so desperate.

“I can’t, Izzy, you heard mother. This wedding will happen and every day that passes is a day closer to my final day. I can’t get married, I can’t. I need to come up with something!”

“I know, but if you keep pacing around the room you won’t solve anything! You need to calm down so you can think clearly." She said, making him sit on a chair. "Now, what do we know about the wedding?”

“That it’s happening.” Alec said sarcastically.

“Alec, please.”

“Fine...but what do you want me to say? We don’t know much, Izzy, except that mother is getting everything ready so that it can take place by the end of this year.”

“Okay, and what do we know about the family that our parents chose?”

“Nothing. Mother refused to tell me, she thinks-”

“-that you’re going to sabotage the wedding.” Izzy completed his sentence.

“Indeed.” Alec nodded. “And she's right, if I knew who I’m getting married to then maybe I could try to persuade this person to cancel the wedding, but since I don't know anything about it, I can’t do it.”

“But I could try to find out.” Izzy suggested. “I can tell mother that I want to help with your wedding and maybe that way I could find out who your betrothed is.”

Alec looked at his sister. That was a great idea. If they managed to know with whom he was getting married then they could boycott the wedding and maybe, just maybe, he could have a chance to be free and be happy with the man he loved.

“But there’s a problem…” Izzy continued.

“What?”

“Let’s say I figure out with whom you’re getting married and you go talk to them, what are you going to say? Your argument about true love and soul mates and marriage out of love sounds all very romantic and sweet, but not everyone thinks like that, Alec. In fact, most people I know are convinced that marriages, in order to be successful, ought to be arranged, so we have to think of something to really convince the family that this arrangement is not their best option.”

“I could pretend to have a deadly disease.”

“That could work, but it’s risky...think about it, big brother, this person could even agree to marry you out of pity.”

Alec sighed. His sister was right. He had to do something more drastic, something more definitive. “Maybe I could-” Alec bit his tongue, refraining himself from sharing his idea.

“What?”

“Nothing, forget it.”

“No, Alec, tell me!”

Alec looked at his sister. He wanted to share his idea with her; it had been taking shape in the back of his mind for days now, but he was afraid to voice it. It was a stupid and reckless idea that most probably would never happen, but it was the only thing that really came to his mind in these moments of despair.

“What if I just run away with him?” Alec said. “I know it sounds desperate and all kinds of stupid, but think about it, Iz, it’s my best chance to be happy.”

“Run away with him?”

“Yes.” Alec said. “I could tell him and if he agrees, we could go together and never come back.”

Izzy stayed silent for a few seconds. “But you don’t even know his name.”

“I don’t need to know his name to know that I want to be with him for the rest of my life, Iz. And think about it, once we are away from here we would be free to be who we want to be. Yes, it's a high price to pay since I wouldn't be able to see any of you ever again, but I could always write you letters, right?”

Izzy nodded slowly. Alec could see how much it had hurt her to even consider the idea. They had always been very close to each other so the possibility of never seeing one another again was painful.

“I know it’s drastic and probably a long shot, since I don’t even know if he is going to agree to it, but it could be a solution, right?”

“It could, but let’s try to come up with something else, okay? Running away isn’t as easy as it sounds. For that to happen, there are plenty of things that have to be taken into account, we can't do it alone, Alec. We would need help and not many people could know about it. Besides, have you thought about the pain you’d put our family through? Max is still a kid, kids can’t keep secrets for long, so you wouldn't even have the chance to say goodbye to him and that would break his heart, he adores you. And our parents? I know that sometimes they are difficult to handle to say the least, but you are their son, Alec, they love you. I know sometimes it doesn't seem like it, but they do.”

“I know, Izzy.” Alec said, because he knew. He was well aware of everything she had just said, but still, he couldn’t get that idea out of his head.

“Give me two weeks, okay?” She continued. “If we can’t come up with something for Christmas then I’ll personally help you run away before the wedding, okay? But you have to promise me that you won’t do anything stupid without telling me first.”

“Okay…”

“Promise me, Alec, I mean it.”

“Okay, I promise.” Alec said, giving his sister a tiny smile. She had always been very supportive of him.

“I’m going to go talk to mother and see if I can learn something about-” Izzy was saying when the door of Alec’s room swung open and Max walked in.

He looked strange, as if he were coming down with something. His face was paler than usual and he was sweating.

“Max, are you okay?” Alec asked, approaching his little brother.

“No, I'm dizzy. I think I'm going to-” The little kid managed to say before collapsing.

“Max! Max!” Alec exclaimed, barely catching his brother in time and saving him from hitting his head against the floor. “Izzy, go get help!”

His sister ran from the room as quickly as she could.

“Max, please wake up!” Alec said, shaking his brother gently, but the boy was completely out. “Please, Max, wake up.” He said in vain.

Whatever was happening to his little brother was clearly something serious, and it meant yet another complication for Alec's already very complicated life.

_At what point his life had become this huge mess?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised this one for Friday, but things got a little bit out of control during the weekend and I didn't have time to finish it. I know it's late, but better late than never, right??? I'll try to update CH8 before Friday, and the last two chapters will be up on Friday as planned ;)
> 
> Anyway, just as a general reminder, this story is very short, so there are things that I won't describe in great detail, not because I don't want to, but because that's how I planned it. Some things are there just to show you all that sometimes life gets complicated without any notice and that there are things beyond our control, so bear with me, okay? I promise it will be worth it in the end ;)
> 
> Hope you like this chapter. See you all soon (probably tomorrow)!!!

Alec made it to the park to see his boyfriend a little bit later than usual. It had been days since the last time he had seen him and he was desperate to be with him. He had been waiting anxiously all day for the night to come so they could finally meet again. The whole thing with his little brother's health had complicated considerably and he had spent an entire week taking care of him. His brother had caught one of those strange viruses that doctors still didn’t have a cure for. They had cataloged Max’s recovery as something miraculous.

“Hi, there.” He said softly. His boyfriend was stretched out on the grass with his eyes closed. If Alec didn't know better, he would have thought he was sleeping.

“Hi.”

“Sorry for making you wait so late.” Alec said, sitting beside him and leaning as close as possible to him. He loved to feel the warmth of his boyfriend's body, and after a week of not seeing him, he craved some kind of contact.

“It’s okay...how’s your little brother?” His boyfriend asked, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together tightly. It had always marveled Alec how perfectly their hands fit with one another.

“Better.”

“I was reading about the disease you mentioned in your letters and he was lucky it didn’t get any worse.”

“I know…” Alec said. “We were really scared for a moment.”

“I imagine.” His boyfriend said and went silent.

Alec frowned. They hadn’t seen each other in more than a week and his boyfriend wasn’t exactly acting as if he had missed him as much as Alec had. In fact, it seemed as if he had been waiting for Alec not to show up.

“Are you alright?” He asked him. Alec knew there was something strange going on. His boyfriend's face looked different, although he still did not know why. Perhaps it was because he looked as if he had been crying. The makeup he used to wear was smeared all over his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy.

“Yes.” His boyfriend lied, faking a smile and clearly trying to distract Alec with a kiss, but Alec knew better.

“Tell me what’s going on...you’re acting weird. We haven’t seen each other in days and you're acting as if I were the last person you wanted to see. You're not being your usual enthusiastic self. What’s going on? Are you alright? Why have you been crying?”

“I haven’t been crying.”

“Yes, you have, I know you too well, okay? So don’t you dare lie to me. We don’t have secrets, remember? Tell me what’s going on.”

His boyfriend sighed and began to speak without making eye contact with Alec. “My father...my father told me he has set me up in marriage. I’m getting married too.” He confessed in a defeated tone.

“When?” Alec managed to ask. That clearly explained his boyfriend’s attitude and also why he looked strange. He was sad, sad as he had never seen him before. Now everything was clear to him.

“I don’t know.” His boyfriend confessed. “I know nothing about it. When he told me I left the house and I’ve been here all day. I don’t want to get married, my love, not with anyone else but you. I can’t do it, I’d rather die than marry a person who I don’t even know.”

Alec hugged him tightly because, _what else could he do, really?_ This whole thing was getting more complicated by the minute. Now they didn’t have to worry just about Alec’s wedding in two weeks, but now about his boyfriend’s too. _What were they going to do?_ It was clear that what was happening was tearing them apart. They both loved each other deeply, although they had not yet uttered those three words that meant so much and that described what they felt for each other perfectly.

“I’m sorry.” Alec said.

His boyfriend chuckled. “I thought I was prepared to hear it, you know? I’ve been waiting for this news for a little bit more than two years, but it turned out I was not. I wasn’t at all. Now I get how you felt when your parents informed you about your own wedding.”

“This is a big mess, isn’t it?”

His boyfriend nodded. “You remember that time you asked me if I would like to live in a different time?”

Alec nodded.

“Well, now I want that more than ever.”

Alec tightened his grip around his boyfriend’s body. He wanted that too. He wanted a place where he could be with this man forever, where he could love him and marry him and-

“Let’s run away.” His boyfriend said, surprising Alec.

Alec himself had been toying with the idea for days, so listening to his boyfriend voicing it was equally a surprise and a relief. He had meant to share it with him, but with everything that had happened with Max it had slipped his mind. “What?”

“What you heard. Let’s run away from here and never come back. Think about it, my love, it’s our only solution. I don’t want to get married and neither do you, we both want to be together, so why don’t we just run away? It’s going to be impossible to boycott two weddings, so it’s either that or give up what we have forever.”

Alec was speechless for a moment.

“I have some money that I’ve been saving since I turned 18. It’s not much, but it’s enough to help us start a life together.”

_A life together…_

Alec liked the sound of that very, very much. He had never pictured himself sharing a life with anyone until this man walked into his life, and now that the idea of having a life together seemed like a possibility, he didn’t know what to say. The answer was yes, a hundred times yes, but he was so overwhelmed by the idea that he couldn’t find the words.

“Please say something.” His boyfriend said, taking his hand and looking him straight in the eye. Alec could see the mixture of hope and fear flashing through his beautiful eyes.

“Yes.” He whispered.

“Yes?”

“Yes!” Alec exclaimed, letting his excitement to speak for him. “I-I...I have thought about it too, but with all the stuff about my brother I couldn’t share it with you, but yes! A hundred times yes! I have some savings too and I’m sure that if I ask them, my siblings would lend me some money too. My wedding is in two weeks, I think? So we could leave this same Friday.”

His boyfriend smiled the biggest of the smiles. “I could make some arrangements so that there's a carriage waiting for us here.”

Alec nodded suddenly very, very excited. “And, where are we going?”

“As far away from here as possible, my love. We can go wherever you want us to go, we can visit as many places as you want, and when we are tired of traveling we can settle somewhere and start our life together. We could get jobs and buy a house for ourselves and-”

“I love you.” Alec said, interrupting his boyfriend’s description of their future life together. It all sounded like a dream come true and it felt like the right thing to do to add those words into the mix.

“I-I love you too.”

Alec smiled and leaned over to kiss him. Now that they had found a solution for their predicament, he felt as if they were untouchable. Soon they would be happy together and having the life they had always wanted.

“So...Friday?” Alec asked, looking at his boyfriend straight in the eye.

“Friday.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Here's CH8!!! As I warned you a couple of chapters ago, the reason why Alec wrote that dreadful letter at the beginning of the story is finally going to be revealed, so I really hope you like it!!! Anyway, the last two chapters will be up tomorrow night (maybe a bit late), so stick around if you want to know the outcome of this story ;)
> 
> See you tomorrow!!!

Alec climbed the window to his room after the amazing night he had spent with his boyfriend. Now that they had a plan to be together forever, he couldn’t stop smiling. He would miss his family, especially his siblings, but he would be happy with the man he loved and that was all that mattered. Yes, that was a selfish way of thinking, but he couldn’t help it. He was beyond excited about his future life with the love of his life.

Alec stepped into his room and almost fell out the window when he saw his father sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for him.

“Goodnight, Alexander.” The man said.

“Father…” Alec said a bit out of breath. He knew he was all sorts of screwed. _How was he going to explain to his father why he had been out and about all night?_ Dawn was breaking. Alec knew he wasn’t going to believe him regardless of the explanation he gave him.

“I-I…” Alec tried to speak, but words weren’t coming out of his mouth.

“Relax...I’ve known it since the first time you snuck out of the house.” His father said. “A servant saw you. When your mother started to get suspicious about your behavior I decided to follow you. I know you meet with someone in that park on the outskirts of the city.”

Alec was speechless—his father knew.

“You managed to fool your mother, but not me, Alexander. Now, can you please sit down? We need to talk.”

Alec sat in the chair by the desk. His mind was in panic mode. His father had known about his nightly adventures all along and he hadn’t said anything in all these months. It was strange and he couldn't help but wonder why.

“I was young once too.” His father said, as if he were reading Alec’s thoughts. “I know what it feels like to fall in love for the first time.”

Alec didn’t know what to say so he let his father do all the talking.

“I was 16 when I met her, her name was Annamari," his father continued, "she was a lovely girl who used to sell flowers in the square.”

Alec stayed silent. He didn't know why his father was sharing all that with him, but he tried to pay attention to every word he said. It was extremely unusual for his father to be open about his personal life. In fact, parents weren't very open with their children, that was how society worked. Alec knew his father’s name because it was written on his birth certificate, but other than that, his father's life was a mystery to him.

“I'm sharing this with you because I'm afraid that the closer we get to the wedding, the more likely it is that you do something stupid. Love can bring the worst out of us, Alexander. The heart isn't the best advisor when in love and I don't want you to do something you'll regret later.”

“Like what?” Alec challenged him. “Like following my heart instead of going through with this stupid wedding?” He said.

He didn't know where that boldness was coming from, but he didn't care. His father had said that love brought the worst out of people and Alec didn't agree, on the contrary, he believed that love brought only the best. It helped people show the best version of themselves.

“Precisely.” His father said.

“And why would I regret doing something like that, huh? On the contrary, I think that-”

“-because then you'll have on your conscience the fate of this family.” His father interrupted him.

“I beg your pardon?”

“What you heard.” His father said, and Alec saw that familiar look that told him that he was hiding something.

“Is there something I need to know?”

“Yes,” his father said, “your mother didn't want me to share this with you, but she doesn't know what I know, so I'll be honest with you and just ask for your discretion. Your brothers and sister can't know about this, understood?”

Alec nodded. He was starting to regret having asked for an explanation.

“As you well know, a few years ago I made some business with the Morgenstern family. At that time I thought I was doing the right thing, but it turned out that it was a huge mistake. Valentine betrayed us and all the money we invested in his project was lost. These past few years have been difficult for us, son, we’ve been trying to keep the ship afloat, pretending that nothing is wrong, but the truth is that everything is upside down, Alexander...we're broke.”

“Broke?”

“We lost everything, son, your grandparents’ house, our properties...everything. The only thing we have left is this house, and it’s currently mortgaged. We haven’t been able to repay the loan in months.”

Alec stopped breathing—this was bad, really, really bad.

“So as you can see, we need something to get out of the problem and your wedding is the only solution. With the agreement we made with your future family we managed to assure ourselves a very good monthly income that will certainly help us pay our debt and get on our feet again. I know you don’t want this wedding to happen, I know how you feel about it, and although I would love to tell you to follow your heart and do what you want, I can’t do it, Alexander. We need you. This family needs you.”

Alec’s heart broke. _Why these kind of things always happened to him? Why?_ He was going to run away with the love of his life. That was his plan. That was what he wanted and now he couldn’t even let his mind think about it because, _who was he to condemn his siblings to a life of misery while he was away traveling the world? Who was he to be so ungrateful to his own parents?_

“I know I’m asking for too much,” his father continued, “but you have to understand that sometimes family, duty and honor are more important than love.”

Alec sighed. “If I didn’t get married, how long would we have before losing this house too?”

“Three months.”

Alec took a deep breath. That was not enough time. He knew he could get a job to help pay the debt, but three months was not enough time, he knew he would never be able to pull that off—not even if he worked all day, every day. There was no choice but to continue with the wedding, even if that broke his heart.

“Okay...don’t worry, father, I will go through with the wedding.” He said.

His father sighed with relief. “You don’t know how grateful we are, Alexander.”

Alec just nodded. Having made that decision had already broken his heart. “Now, if you please...can I have some minutes to myself, father? I’ll see you for breakfast.”

“Okay.” His father said, walking to the door. “And, Alexander? I’m sorry, I really am.”

Alec didn't reply and just waited until his father shut the door behind him to take out his writing set and write his last letter to the man of his dreams. He would have liked to see him one last time, to tell him this in person, but he couldn't. He knew he would never have the courage to break up with him in person, so this was the only way to do it.

He took a piece of paper, wrote the date and addressed his words to his dear Stranger.

“ _I don’t even know how to start this letter.”_ He wrote. _“As you well know, I’m not very good with words, and if I’m completely honest, these are the hardest I’ve ever had to write. These past few months with you have been the best in my life and that is why, asking you what I’m about to ask you breaks my heart completely. I know it's not what either of us wanted, but sometimes things are like that. I'm sorry for doing this, but we have to stop seeing each other for good.”_

A couple of tears rolled down his cheeks as he continued writing the rest of the letter, trying in vain to explain why he couldn’t go through with their plan to run away and have a life together, why despite everything he felt for him, he couldn't let down his family.

By the time he signed the letter and put it in an envelope, Alec was a complete mess. He couldn’t stop crying and his heart ached as if someone had ripped it out of his chest, crushed it, and put it back in its place, just so he could know that it was broken but somehow still beating.

Alec grabbed his coat, walked out of his house and took the letter to the guy at the post office. When Alec didn’t receive a reply that day or in the following days, he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he had lost the love of his life forever.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry!!!!! I know this last update was supposed to be up yesterday, but life got in the way and I couldn't post it. Anyway, I really hope you like how this story ends. I won't say much about it since I don't want to give away anything, but keep in mind what I warned you at the beginning...it's cheesy, so be ready to embrace the Malec ;)
> 
> Anyway, more notes at the end of CH10 ;)

Alec was pacing around his room—the day had finally arrived: he was getting married in two days and meeting his future family today. To say that he wasn’t ready was a big understatement. He had been trying to prepare for it, to wrap his head around the idea of getting married, but he had been unable to think of anything other than his now ex-boyfriend.

Since he had sent him that dreadful letter, Alec hadn’t heard from him. Just the night before he had snuck out of his house in the middle of the night to see if by any chance he could see him for the very last time in their usual spot, but the place had been empty. He had waited for hours, but his Stranger had never shown up.

And now here he was, all dressed up in some elegant suit he hated already, and waiting for the other family to arrive so that they could make the official first meeting.

“Alec?” His sister said, poking her head through the door. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah.” He said, looking at her. She was already dressed for the occasion with a beautiful red gown that made her black hair look even darker. She looked gorgeous.

“You like it?” She asked, twirling so Alec could see her entire attire.

“You look beautiful,” Alec admitted, “I’m not sure if mother is going to approve the choice of color, but you look stunning.”

“Of course she won’t, that’s why I chose it.” She said with a mischievous smile.

Alec tried to smile back, but nowadays nothing seemed to cheer him up, not even his siblings who had tried without success to make him smile again.

“How are you feeling?” She asked.

“How do you think?” He said back, giving her a look that summed up everything he was feeling—the anger, the pain, the heartbreak, the despair.

“I’m sorry, Alec, but you decided to go through with this. You know I was willing to help you run away. By the way, what made you change your mind? Did you have a fight with the nameless man?”

“Something like that.” He said, knowing he could never share the truth of what had happened.

“You still have time,” she said, “they haven’t arrived yet. You could climb down the window and go before it's too late. I have some money that I could give you and I’m sure that if we tell Jace, he would be willing to help as well.”

Alec looked at his closed window. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to follow his sister’s advice and leave, but he couldn’t do it. Not when the consequences of his actions would have a direct impact on the welfare of his entire family. “I can’t, Izzy.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t...besides, it’s better like this. We were not meant to be together.”

“Alec…”

“It’s fine, Iz, don’t worry about me, okay?”

“Don’t ask me that, big brother. I can’t not worry about you, I hate to see you so unhappy. I wish I could do something to make you feel better.”

Alec looked at her. His sister had always been very supportive and he loved her for that. “Having you by my side is more than enough, Iz.”

She smiled. “Well, at least you know what to expect, right? I know our parents told you this morning with whom you're getting married.”

Alec sighed. That was a bomb that his parents had, indeed, dropped that morning, but it hadn’t been of any help. He still didn’t know anything about that family, they were complete strangers to him. “Yeah, but I know nothing about them.”

“True, but at least you’re marrying a man. That’s good, right?”

“Yeah.” Alec admitted. That had been yet another surprise. When his parents had informed him that he was marrying a man it had been both a relief and a reason to freak out even more. “But I have no idea who he is or how he's like.” Alec said. “What if he’s an old man? Or worse, what if he is not interested in men? He's going to hate me, Iz, I’m going to be even more miserable!”

Izzy tried to smile, but it was clear that what Alec had just said was nothing but the truth, they knew nothing of this man or his family; for all they knew, he could be some decrepit old drunk who had managed to score a pretty decent deal to marry a younger man. After all, it happened more often than not.

“Let’s hope he’s not some-” Izzy was saying when the door of Alec’s room swung open and Jace walked in.

“They are here.” He announced.

“Already?” Izzy asked.

“Yes, our parents are entertaining them, but they sent me to get Alec.” Jace said.

Alec took a deep breath. It was too late to try anything now—he couldn’t run away.

“Are you ready?” Jace asked carefully.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Alec said, because it was the truth. He was never going to be ready, but there was nothing he could do about it. This was it. This was the end.

o-o-o-o-o

Alec walked out of his room with his siblings by his side. He could hear all the voices of the people gathered downstairs and that made him even more nervous. It seemed to make everything more...real.

“Take deep breaths.” Izzy told him, but Alec couldn’t even move. He was frozen on the edge of the stairs.

“I can’t do it.” He whispered.

“Yes, you can.” Jace encouraged him. “We’ll be with you the whole time, I promise.”

Alec nodded and started to descend the stairs. His brother was right, he could do it. If not for himself, for his family.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs Alec stopped again. He could hear his mother's voice through the hall. She sounded delighted to be hosting this first-meeting dinner.

“It’s a pleasure to have you all here.” She was saying. “This is our little son, Max, the others will be here shortly. If you'd like to come with us to the grand salon? I’ll order the servants to bring us some refreshments there.”

Alec shared a look with both Jace and Izzy before taking a deep breath and entering the grand salon too.

There were two men standing there dressed very elegantly. The one who was facing the door had a black hat on his head and a long cane that he seemed to use for support, though Alec wasn’t sure if he really needed it to walk. The man looked older than his father, but no less healthy, so the cane looked more like a fashion accessory than anything else.

The other man had his back to the door, but he was wearing a long black cloak and several rings on his fingers. Alec noticed them when the man grabbed some refreshments that the servants had just placed there.

“My son, finally.” His father exclaimed, grabbing Alec by the arm and dragging him to the center of the room. “Meet your future father in-law.”

Alec politely grabbed the old man’s hand without even daring to speak.

“I’m Asmodeus and this,” the man said, dragging his own son too, “is my son, Magnus. Magnus Bane.”

The other man finally turned around and Alec gasped in surprise. His whole world stopped and he stood there just looking at this man—Magnus—who was no other than the man with whom he’d been writing letters for months, the man with whom no less than two weeks ago he had planned to run away and start a life together.

“You.” He whispered, before losing his breath.


	10. Chapter 10

Time seemed to have frozen still. It was just Alec and this man in the world at that moment. Alec felt as if an eternity had passed since the last time he had seen him at the park on the outskirts of the city. They both were looking at each other, truly looking at each other for the first time. Magnus, his name was Magnus and it suited him. It was powerful and somehow sweet—like him. Alec wanted to say it out loud to see how it sounded when it rolled off his tongue.

“Have you two met?” His father asked confused, and Alec panicked. He didn't know why, but he didn't want them to know that they had met before and that, in fact, they knew each other pretty well. He couldn't tell them that he had been falling in love with his future husband for months.

“We bumped into each other once.” Magnus lied, smiling at everybody with grace. He looked relaxed and somehow not so surprised by this twist of fate.

“Well, that's good, right?” Magnus's father said, grinning.

“It is.” Magnus smiled again.

Alec wanted to say something, to do something, but he couldn’t. He was completely petrified with surprise.

“Well,” Alec’s father said, “you can now go for a stroll to the gardens to know each other better while we talk. We'll call you both when it's time for dinner.”

“You want me to go with you?” Jace asked in a whisper, clearly taking Alec's sudden silence as a sign of his nervousness and probably disappointment about his future husband, but little did his brother know that it was the complete opposite. It was taking all Alec's self-control to keep calm, because all he wanted to do now was to run into Magnus's arms and kiss him until they became one.

“No.” He said, barely shaking his head. “It's fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Alec nodded.

“Raj will go with you two.” Alec's mother intervened.

Alec wasn't expecting any less. Couples couldn't be left alone before they were married, it was considered improper.

Alec and Magnus walked awkwardly next to each other until they reached the gardens of the house. The silence between them was eerie, uncomfortable. Many nights they had stayed in complete silence just enjoying each other's company and it had never felt like this. It was as if there was something standing between them. Alec knew it probably had to do with the fact that both had thought they had lost each other forever.

“I don't even know what to say.” Alec whispered. He could see Raj standing a few steps behind them. “You don't seem too surprised to discover that we're getting married.”

“I'm not.”

“Have you known it all along?” Alec asked. There was a sense of betrayal taking shape in the pit of his stomach.

“No.” Magnus said sincerely, and Alec relaxed.

“When did you find out?”

“A couple of days after I got your last letter.” Magnus explained. “My father came to talk to me about the wedding. He said it would happen in a couple of days since the family, your family, was in a hurry to settle the arrangement because they had some financial problems. It didn't take me long to put two and two together. We were getting married the same week, my future husband lived in the city and his family had financial problems. Besides, my father said that according to what he knew, my future husband was extremely handsome and sweet, and there's only one person in the entire world that fits into that description.”

Alec couldn’t help but smile. “Why didn't you tell me? You could have sent me a letter. These two weeks have been a living hell.”

“I’m sorry, but I wanted to respect your decision to put your family before us. I know it mustn't have been easy for you to make that decision, but you had to be at peace with it and with yourself. I can't even imagine what it meant for you to send me that letter, but I understand why you did it, it hurt and broke my heart, yes, but it also made me proud to be in love with someone like you. You're a noble and good man, and you care about your family. I can only hope you do the same for the one we're about to start.”

 _For the one they were about to start._ That thought still seemed unreal to Alec’s ears. It was too good to be true and he didn't know what to say. There were so many things on his mind at the moment.

“Are you still so opposed to this arranged wedding happening in two days?” Magnus asked, following Alec’s silence.

Alec shook his head because if he had something clear in the chaos that was his mind was that for some twist of fate he was going to marry Magnus. He was going to marry his Stranger. “I'm not, and you? I suppose you aren't either?”

Magnus smiled. “You suppose right. In fact, I wish we could get married right now so I could kiss you.”

Alec blushed. “I thought I’d lost you.” He said, finally letting all the agony of the past days to leave his body.

“I thought the same thing, my Alexander.”

Alec smiled. He had always hated his full name, that was why he always went by Alec, but somehow listening to Magnus saying it made him change his mind. It sounded right, it sounded real.

“Magnus.” Alec said, pronouncing that name for the very first time and noticing the same reaction he had had in the eyes of his future husband.

They had always said that it didn't matter what their names were, but it had been a lie. Their names gave them identity, their names made them real people.

“I could get used to that.”

“To what?”

“To you saying my name, Alexander, I like it.”

“I like it too.” Alec confessed, smiling but his smile wasn't reaching his eyes yet.

Magnus dared to take his hand and stroke it tenderly. “What's bothering you, my love?”

Of course this man knew there was something bothering him. He knew him better than anyone. “I want to apologize…”  Alec said, lowering his gaze, “for that letter, for what I did, I never meant to-”

“There's nothing to apologize for, okay? You did the right thing, it hurt, yeah, but hey?” Magnus said, encouraging Alec to look up. “We're still together, and without hiding.”

Alec's smile finally reached his eyes. It was true. Despite all that had happened, despite the sacrifice he thought he had made, they were still together, and better than before because now it was official. They didn’t have to hide. They could live their love out in the open. “I love you, you know that, don't you?”

Magnus smiled, turned around to see if the coast was clear, and taking full advantage of the fact that their chaperone seemed to be very distracted contemplating the sky, he leaned over and gave Alec a quick kiss on the lips. “I do, and I love you too.”

Alec squeezed Magnus's hand tightly. It was finally dawning on him that he was going to have a lifetime to be with this man and he couldn't wait for it to start. “We’re getting married!” He exclaimed.

“We are.” Magnus agreed, mirroring the same enthusiasm. “Are you ready to be with me forever?”

“More than ready.”

o-o-o-o-o

Two days later when the wedding finally took place and the grooms sealed their union with a kiss, no one questioned the big smiles on their faces nor the glow that seemed to emanate from both of them, because sometimes, just sometimes, letting fate write your story wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think?? I wanted to change the trope a bit and instead of having them marrying different people, set them to marry each other, I know that historically speaking that was impossible, but that's why this is called fiction and why I warned y'all about it since the beginning.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the support and your constant encouragement, you guys are the best readers in the world!!! See you all next Friday with a new story. Spoiler alert: It's going to be very, very long.
> 
> PS: You can find a rebloggable (tumblr) version of this story [here](http://msalexiscriss.tumblr.com/post/149522508537/summary-au-set-in-the-18th-century-where).


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